Speaking to the Standard at the count, he added it was “hard” to capture the attention of voters throughout the campaign process, suggesting many were “consumed” by the recent Scottish Parliamentary election.

That was reflected in the fact that just 57,859 votes were cast in the area. However, this was higher than the turnout for the Scottish parliamentary elections.

Speaking after the vote, Labour remain leader Barry Douglas said: “We’re very, very pleased. The people of East Ayrshire have voted emphatically to remain.

“They’ve shown they didn’t want a Tori led Brexit. They want to remain at the heart of Europe.

“It’s still too early to tell what the overall result will be, but if it is a leave I’d be concerned about jobs, workers’ rights, and the pound in your pocket.”

Early on in the declarations, the value of the Pound Sterling dropped six points as Wall Street closed for trading. That was expected to reduce throughout the trading day on Friday.

The Standard spoke to representatives of St Joseph’s Academy at the count in Kilmarnock’s Galleon Centre.

The school had earlier held a mock referendum involving around half of the pupils. Head of social subjects, Angela Quigley, said 70 per cent of pupils “wanted to remain”.

poll loading

Should Scotland now vote to leave the UK in a second independence referendum in order to remain in the EU?